Conveyer



Patented May 14,v 1889..

(No Model.) A 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. E. EURL-EY.

GONVBYER'. I

No. 403,269. PatentedMay 14, 1889 .Y 5 sheets-sheet l3. R. E. HURLBY.

GONVEYER.

No. 408,269. Patented May 14, 1889.

(No Model.) I K 5 sheets-sheet 4.

' R. E. HURLEY.

GONVEYER.-

No. 403,269. Patented May 14, 1889.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 l R. E. HURLBY.

CONVEYER.

N0. 403,269. Patented May 14, 1889.

mn H u T11/43,5

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT E. HURLEY, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,269, dated May 14,1889. Application filed May 17, 1888. Serial No. 274,136. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, ROBERT E. IIURLEY, re siding at Des Moines, in thecounty of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Oonveyers, which I desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, and of which the following is a specification.

The general object of my invention is to improve the construction andsimplify the operation of conveyers used in the handling of lumber,ties, and similar articles, wherein such articles are forwarded by meansof rollers secured to rotate in suitable guideways, which rollers arerotated by means of frictional contact between them and an endless cabledriven by suitable power.

For purposes of illustration I have shown my improvements embodied in atrackdaying apparatus in which the train of cars is used to carry theties and rails and to deliver the ties, by means of ways attached at theside of the cars, to the point where they are to be laid. In suchconstructiomtrains a locomotive may be employed to propel the train andto furnish steam to a stationary engine located upon a liat` car,preferably placed next to the locomotive, and by means of whichstationary engine the ties and rails may be carried from the variouscars of the train to the point where they are desired to be used.

My improvements relate more particularly to the construction andoperation of the rollers and cylinders by which the materials areforwarded; also to improvements in devices for taking up the slack of anendless cable used to rotate said rollers, and also to certainimprovements in guideways forming part of the conveyer, whereby theapparatus when used in track-laying may deliver the ties at the centerof the road-bed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of atrack-laying apparan tus embodying the several features of myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a flat car upon which ismounted a stationary engine used to impart motion to the cable, andshowing, also, in side elevation my improved devices for taking up theslack of said cable. Fig. 3 is a detail of pulleys used in connectionwith the slack-taking device. Fig. -LL is a detail of the gearing andpulleys whereby motion is imparted by the engine to the cable. Fig. 5shows in plan view my improvedV construction of rollers and the meanswhereby I propel them. Fig. 6 is a side elevation. Fig. 7 is a sideelevation of a bracket which I employ to carry the rollers, a roller inposition, edge views of the sheaves over which the cable travels, andshowing the cable in` cross-section therein. Fig. 8 is a detail showinga plate for supporting one end of the axle of the roller. Fig. 9 is asectional view of the roller. Fig. lO is a side elevation of theguideways used at the forward end of the train, and whereby the ties aredelivered over the center of the road-bed, and Fig. 1l is a plan view ofthe same.

It has been proposed hitherto to provide construction-trains with atrain or guide way made in sections, one attached to each car andprovided with rollers journaled in the way at frequent intervals, theserollers being caused to rotate through the agency of an' endless cabledriven by an engine, the ties being carried along by the revolution ofthe rollers. The necessary friction between the rollers and the cable toinsure the operation of the latter was secured by causing the cable totravel in a V- shaped groove of the rollers and by the use of auxiliaryfriction devices. It has also been proposed torotate the rollers bymeans of chain belts. Obviously, much power is wasted in either of thesemodes of operation, because a link belt of sufiicient length to reachfrom one end of the construction-train to the other and back would bevery heavy, and a great deal of power would be required to drive it,while with the rope or wire cable above mentioned `considerable loss ofpower is attendant upon the use of auxiliary friction devices, and alsobecause, with this construction, the cable mustbe kept equally taut atall times, whether the ties which are passing over the rollers be lightor heavy and whether their passage be more or less frequent. I havetherefore devised means whereby the superimposed weight of the tieitself upon the rollers is made to furnish the necessary frictionbetween the rollers and the cable to cause the former to rotate.

Referring again to the drawings, l shows a series of iiat cars uponwhich are carried IOO ties 2, rails 3, as desired,'a car, 4, at the rearend of the train next to the locomotive, a stationary engine, 5, mountedthereon, and the car 6 at the front of the train, which may be providedwith a suspended section of guideways, and the means for projecting theties and delivering them onto the road-bed in front of the train.

Upon the sides of the cars l brackets 7 are secured, as shown in detailin Fig. 7. These brackets may engage the stake-socket 8, and may bebraced laterally by means of braces 9, which abut against the sill ofthe car. These brackets carrysidebars, 10, which also perform thefunctions of guides for the ties, and upon -the outer of said bars, bypreference, I secure the carrying-plate ll, having an elongated slot orbearing, l2, to receive one end of the axle of the rollers 13, wherebysaid rollers have at that end sufficient vertical play to enable them toadjust themselves automatically under the varying weight of the tieswhich pass over them and cause su fticient friction to rotate them.These brackets 7 may also carry hangers ll, having sheave 15 to supportthe cable 16 while returning. A second sheave, l5, may be placed at oneside of the roller, shown, and secured to a cross-picce, 17, or it maybe secured directly beneath the roller. This sheave is in such proximityto the lower surface of the roller that the cable which travels in saidsheave will be in frictional contact with the roller. Now it isevidentt-hatonly the weight of the roller is upon the cable, unless theformer carrying' a tie, the frictional contact between the cable androller being slight and resulting in a consequent saving of power. Afurther saving of power results from the fact that there is no downwardjournal-pressure on the movable end of the roller, as the weight of theroller and tie comes directly upon the cable, and the latter is notdeflected by anxiliary friction devices, but travels at all times inlines parallel to the train. It is also evident that the roller adjustsitself perfectly under ties of different weights. Both ends of therollers may be adjustable. The cable may be placed at any point alongthe length of the roller, or two cables-one for each endmay be used.

In Fig. 9 I have shown an improved construction of roller, consisting ofa metallic shell or cylinder, i8, having metallic end sections, 1.0,andan axle, 20, jeurnaled in the end sections and on which the rollersrevolve. The end sections are secured within the shell by means of rodsor bolts 2l, or they may be riveted. Evidently the axle of the rollermay be fixed thereto and one of its ends journaled in a sliding journal-box on the plate ll. This construction of rollerislight, strong,and durable. The cross-piece l7 braces the guideway structure and it maytake the form of a shield to guide the ends of the ties upon thefrollers.

Cable l0 is an endless cable which is driven by the stationary engine 5on car et, and ithas the take-up devices shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which Iwill now describe. The cable passes from a driving-pulley, 22, to asheave, 23, carried by a swinging arm, 24, the upper end of which isadapted to travel upon a stationary upright, 25. This and a similarupright, 26, form guides for the weight 27, and the cord 28, attached tosaid weight, is carried over the sheave 29 and thence down under thesheave 30 and made fast to or at the sheave 23. The pivoted link 3lconnects the swinging arm 2lwith the bottom of the upright 25. From thesheave 23 the cable passes over a sheave, 32, rotatably secured betweenthe sheave 23 and the engine, and is then carried back over a sheave,23, having a common axis with sheave 23. From this sheave the cablepasses eut in the direction indicated by the arrow.

The operation of this device is very simple and consists in this:Supposing the cable to be taut, should it from any cause stretch orlengthen, the weight 27 being at the upper limit of its travel and thesheaves 23 23L being in close proximity to the sheave 32, lengthen- :ingor slaclcening of the cable will cause the weight to descend, drawingback, through the medium of the rope 2S, the sheaves 23, thereby takingup such slack very rapidly by reason of doubling the cable over thesheaves To secure the maximum effect of the enginepower upon the cable,I employ two sheaves, 22 and 22, geared together, as shown in Fig. 4,and so placed with relation to each other and to the cable as to presenta greater extent of friction-surface to the cable than can be attainedwith the ordinary arrangement of sheaves. As will be observed, thesheave 22 has its axis of rotation only slightly above that of thesheave 22, and it need be only so much above as will permit the cable toclear. rThe cable is taken on at the upper side of sheave 22, travelingin the direction indicated by the arrow, passes around said sheave forabout three-quarters of its circumference,

and thence passes onto the upper side of sheave 22 and around the samefor about three-qu arters of its circumference, and thence passes to theslack take-up device.

Heretofore it has been difficult to provide convenientmechanism fordelivering ties over the center of the road-bed, and it has only beenaccomplished by carrying the guideways over the center of the cars-aconstruction which is very undesirable and has been discarded in thelater forms of track-laying apparatus. I combine the guideways attachedto the side of the car with a central deliverymextension, which 'isclearly shown in Figs. 1,10, and 1].. As 4will be seen from thosefigures, the section of'guideway affixed to the car G inclines upwardlyfrom rear to front, and is there connected to a short section, 34C,which extends diagonally forward to a point over the middle of theroad-bed and there joins a downwardly-in- IOO IIO

clining section, 35, projecting forward over the road-bed and suspendedby suitable guys, 36, which 5are connected to the truss-frame 37 38. Itmay be found expedient to carry the main cable up to the point where thesection 33 joins the section 34, at which point a man may be stationedto forward the ties over this diagonal section of track and start themdown the incline 35, along which they will move by gravity. This meansof delivering ties, while simple in its construction, effects aconsiderable saving in the practical work of track-laying, inasmuch asit allows thelaborers to stand upon the road-bed Yupon either side ofthe delivery-point and necessitates only such handling of the ties as isnecessary to turn them crosswise of theroad-bed in proper position to belaid.

One obj ect of inclining the section of track 33 is to carry it to suchan elevation as will allow the men to conveniently work and handlematerial at the end of the car.

I claiml. In a conveyer for ties or other materials, the combination ofa guideway having a series of rollers each of which has one endvertically adjustable, whereby the superimposed weight of the articlemoved thereon shall depress said roller, and a cable upon which thedepressed roller bears and by which it is rotated, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a conveyer for ties, clac., the combination, with guidewaysprovided with rollers, one end of which is vertically adjustable, of anendless cable adapted to be brought into frictional contact with saidrollers when the latter are depressed, and an engine for giving motionto said cable, substantially as described.

3. In a conveyer, the combination, with guideways having rollersrotatably secured therein, said rollers vhaving one of their endsvertically adjustable in its bearings, of an end` less cable adapted tobe brought into frictional contact with the rollers when depressed, andsheaves to sustain said cable in such frictional contact, substantiallyas described.

4D. In a conveyer for railway-ties, the combination, with guidewaysconsisting of brackets 7, rails 10, and brace 9, of rollers 13, journaled therein and having one end vertically adjustable, cable 16, andsheaves l5, substantially as described.

5. A roller for conveyers consisting of a cylindrical shell, separableheads therefor having a flanged circumference and a sunken centralportion with a hub to form a journalbearing for an axle, an axleextended through the shell and j ournaled in the heads, and bolts orrivets having their heads and securingnuts seated upon the sunkenportion of the heads, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with an endless cable, of a device for taking up theslack of such cable, comprising -a sheave, 23, connected to a swingingarm, 24, and a weight connected by a cord with said sheave, whereby theslack of the cable is taken up by the descent of the weight and thedrawing back of the sheave, substantially as described.

7. In a slack-take-up device, the combination, with an endless cable, ofa system of pulleys over which the cable is passed, two of said pulleysbeing secured to rotate upon a common axis, and being movable, substan75 tially as described.

8. The combination, with an endless cable, of a slack-take-up devicecomprising a movable pulley over which the cable is passed, a swingingand endwise-movable arm to which said pulley is connected, and a weightconnected to said pulley, whereby to move it to take up the slack of thecable, substantially as described.

9. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination, with a car, of aguideway affixed to the side ofsaid car and inclined upwardly from rearto front thereof, a section of guideway projecting from the side of thecar to near the middle of its width, and a downwardly-inclined sectionof guideway projecting out over the middle of the road-bed and in frontof the train, said sections constituting a continuous guideway wherebythe ties are carried from the side of thecar to the middle of theroad-bed, substantially as described.

10. In a track-laying apparatus, the combination of a guidewaycomprising the sections 33 34 35, with a suitable suspending medium, 3637 38, substantially as described.

ROBERT E. HURLEY.

Witnesses C. C. LrNrHroUM, T. D. BUTLER.

IOO

